Travel Guide
Safe & Affordable! The New Latin America Hotspot Surging In Popularity With Digital Nomads
Jan
Are you a digital nomad planning on relocating to Latin America, preferably somewhere sunny and that won’t cost an arm and a leg––or even your life?
Due to the staggeringly high prices of long-term accommodation, you might want to avoid Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, and unless you’re well-acclimatized to life in harsh environments, we’d advise you to avoid Medellin, Rio, and the like.
Thankfully, there is an up-and-coming alternative in the much-overlooked Central American strip that is both affordable and, as of recent years, super safe, and it’s just been ranked one of the best for digital nomads:
Why Do Digital Nomads Love El Salvador Right Now?
El Salvador is officially the fourth best country for digital nomads to relocate to based on a study conducted by centralamerica.com, on behalf of Costa Rican Vacations, based on factors such as cost of living, safety, visa rules, and digital nomad infrastructure.
Let’s first address the living costs:
Compared to other widely-popular nomad hotspots, El Salvador is offers lower prices than average: according to Numbeo, a single person’s monthly expenses total an average $1,534 with rent, transportation costs, and food factored in.
That’s for San Salvador, the bustling Salvadorian capital, but life can be much cheaper even in the laid-back colonial city of Santa Ana, where a meal in a local restaurant will set you back by roughly $2.50, or El Tunco, a beach town host to a thriving surfing scene where a month-long Airbnb stay starts from $347.
El Salvador’s diverse nature is yet another big draw for nomads:
A Land Of Mind-Blowing Natural Wonders
This is a tropical country boasting warmer weather year-round, after all, and between the sprawling rainforests, where walking trails lead to hidden waterfalls and natural springs, and the sand-fringed Pacific Coast, there is a big choice of nature-based destinations at hand.
Some of the must-sees include El Boquerón, a national park centered around an active volcano packed full of hiking zones; Cerro Verde, yet another volcanic territory boasting scenic viewpoints and a crater lake, and let’s not forget San Salvador’s own urban park:
Parque del Bicentenario is famous for its jogging and biking lanes, and its lush greenery offers some respite from the hustle and bustle of the capital when you’re having ‘one of those days’.
On the coast, El Tunco is easily El Salvador’s most iconic beach, thanks to its volcanic nature, with dark sands and epic waves, though El Zonte is just as trendy, with its select list of boutique hotels and well-established backpacker community.
Over in El Cuco, you’ll find the same kind of dark-colored beaches and serene waters, and a short one-hour drive from San Salvador towards the nearest coast; you’ll hit a more offbeat, less-crowded La Libertad, hugged by azure waters.
On top of its diverse tourist offer, El Salvador has recently gone from being one of the murder capitals of Latin America to one of its safest:
El Salvador Is Safer Than It Ever Was
Thanks to President Bukele’s unorthodox approach to crime, the streets of El Salvadorian cities are now largely rid of the gangs that controlled them for decades, and criminality has plummeted to never-before-seen lows.
In fact, crime rates across the country, and this includes violent crime, have fallen by over 98% in nine years.
These promising figures have led the U.S. State Department itself to revise its travel advice for El Salvador, placing it now at Level 2, instead of the previous Level 4: in non-technical terms, this means Americans are no longer discouraged from visiting.
Instead, they should simply exercise ‘increased caution’, as petty theft and scamming could be more common in certain areas, particularly underdeveloped urban centers like San Salvador’s outskirts.
On top of that, El Salvador offers nomads a median internet connection speed of 21.83 Mbps via mobile networks, not the fastest, but not the slowest either, and many of the cafes and eateries in nomad-populated cities have free WiFi and coworking stations.
Let’s not forget El Salvador’s embracing of Bitcoin as a legal tender, which is great news for tech-savvy entrepreneurs who conduct business in cryptocurrencies.
If you’re heading to El Salvador as a digital nomad in 2025, and you hold a U.S. passport, you’re allowed to stay in the country for 180 days, uninterrupted, as a visitor, and you do not need to apply for an El Salvadorian visa before landing.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
